West Pottsgrove man under court supervision for possessing child porn

NORRISTOWN — A 22-year-old West Pottsgrove man will be under court supervision for several years after he admitted to possessing child pornography on his home computer.

Christopher Michael Morgan, of the 300 block of East Vine Street, showed no emotion Thursday as he was sentenced in Montgomery County Court to five years’ probation and 100 hours of community service after he pleaded guilty to two counts of sex abuse of children possessing child pornography in connection with an October 2011 incident at his residence.

Judge Thomas C. Branca also determined that Morgan meets criteria under Pennsylvania’s Megan’s Law to be declared a sexually violent predator, agreeing with members of the Pennsylvania Sexual Offender Assessment Board, who evaluated Morgan prior to the sentencing hearing.

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“It seems clear to me that the criteria were met in every regard,” Branca told Morgan, who was represented by defense lawyer Keith Harbison.

Those deemed to be predators face more stringent restrictions under Megan’s Law, including a lifetime requirement to report their addresses to state police and community notification about their living arrangements. Under the law, institutions such as schools and day care facilities in the vicinity of Morgan’s residence will be notified about Morgan’s residency.

The judge also ordered Morgan to undergo a psychological evaluation and to comply with all treatment recommendations.

According to the arrest affidavit filed by Pennsylvania State Police Trooper Michael Fegley, an FBI special agent was conducting an Internet investigation regarding child pornography being shared online.

Through the course of the investigation, the agent identified a computer at the East Vine Street address that was in possession of and sharing videos and/or images of child pornography, according to the criminal complaint.

State police along with the FBI executed a search warrant at the East Vine Street residence and spoke with Morgan, who said he was the only one who uses the computer at the residence, the arrest affidavit alleged.

Morgan admitted to using file-sharing software to search for and download child pornography. He told investigators that he knew it was wrong to look at child pornography, and tries not to, but “he has to,” court papers indicate.

A forensic examination of the computer evidence seized from Morgan found there were 68 images and one video of individuals under the age of 18 engaged in sexual conduct or in various stages of undress, according to the criminal complaint.

The judge ordered Morgan to forfeit his computer to authorities as a condition of the sentence.